If only the 28 stone 33 years old mother of three from Gateshead ( Ded’s rant :- http://filipinaroses.com/showthread....one-Idle-Lardy ) was the only one !


• Obesity is a global issue – about a third ( 2.1 billion ) are overweight or obese ; compared to 840 million estimated to be undernourished ; over the past three decades not one nation has slimmed down .


• In the UK, estimates for 2013 are that over a quarter of boys ( under 20 ) are overweight and obese ( 7.4% obese ) ; two thirds of men overweight and obese ( a quarter obese ) ; for girls, almost a third ( and 8% obese) ; women, about three fifths ( a quarter obese ).


• The Philippines – with the decline of communicable diseases there is an increase in obesity and its consequences :-

5.5% boys overweight and obese ( 2.6% obese ) ; about a quarter of men ( 4.1% obese ) ; 5.4% of girls ( 2.1% obese ) ; a quarter of women ( 6.2% obese ).


• Apart from contributing to many diseases, possibly 5% of all deaths worldwide, and costing the NHS £5 billion annually, it’s a massive drain on the economy ( £ 16 billion annually in the UK ).


• Even if the estimates are just that, and BMI ( Body Mass Index ) on which they’re based is an imperfect measure ( a tape measure round the waist has advantages ! ) – it does seem obesity is an economic, social and health burden as important as smoking, armed violence and terrorism ; and more serious than alcoholism, air pollution, drug use and road accidents.


• If it was simply a matter of eating less and exercising more, there wouldn’t be this worsening global pandemic .

There’s huge variation round the world, but generally although consumption of healthier foods has increased, that of unhealthy foods has increased MORE ; and people are taking LESS exercise.



• There is NO single intervention which can do much good, but a combination of over 40 interventions could bring a fifth of overweight/obese Britons back to normal weight.


• There are many beliefs about obesity which persist despite contradicting evidence ( myths ) or without supporting evidence ( presumptions ).


• Facts – things we know with reasonable confidence - are these :-

1. Diets ( reduced energy intake ) do reduce weight but they’re hard to maintain long term.

2. Increased exercise improves health even with little weight loss.


3. Overweight children need involvement of parents and the home setting more so than school programmes.

4. Some prescription drugs and weight loss surgery are effective in appropriate patients.


• This is – literally – a massive topic. Even the " experts " who came up with over 40 possible interventions to tackle the obesity epidemic, acknowledge that readers are unlikely to agree with ALL their suggestions .


• Overweight people do seem to face humiliation, ridicule, insults, and discrimination to a greater extent than those with other unhealthy lifestyles – which seems only to aggravate their condition.



• It’s not for me to judge people’s lifestyle choices – and it’s debatable how much governments should do to promote healthier lifestyles, in addition to individual effort. What is beyond doubt is that obesity is now a critical global issue – with neither a single cause nor solution.



http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/eco..._fight_obesity


http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1208051



http://www.thelancet.com/journals/la...460-8/abstract